These are all reports from the last week or so. Note the low profile given
in news reports when compared with reports about minor nuclear plant problems. Those, however, very rarely lead to any actual damage or material escapes.

“The Philippines said on Tuesday it would ask Japan and Indonesia to help
dam a huge oil spill that has polluted fishing grounds, dive spots and a
national marine reserve around the central island of Guimaras.”
—
“Vice-Admiral Arthur Gosingan, the head of the Coast Guard, told Reuters
that the bunker oil, covering a stretch of about 19.5 nautical miles,
could take up to three years to clean.” [Quoted from planetark.org]

“A tanker on its way from the Middle East to Japan spilled about 4,500
tonnes of crude oil in the eastern Indian Ocean, tanker owner Mitsui
O.S.K. Lines Ltd. said on Tuesday.

“The leak from the tanker Bright Artemis on Monday afternoon occurred some
290 miles (470 km) west of India's Great Nicobar Island.” [Quoted from planetark.org]

“An action plan to tackle the massive oil spill off Lebanon's coastline
caused by the conflict is due to be discussed in Greece on Thursday.
Officials from the UN, the EU and the International Maritime Organisation
(IMO) are meeting to agree a way to halt the spread in the Mediterranean.

“Oil spilled into the sea following Israel's bombing of a power station.

“The slick now covers 170km (105 miles) of Lebanon's coastline and is
spreading out to sea.

“Environmentalists and health officials have warned that the spill poses a
direct threat to marine life and could increase the risk of cancer among
people living in the affected areas.

“It could take up to 10 years for the affected coastline to recover, they
say.” [Quoted from bbc.co.uk]

“Barton told Browne there is "substantial evidence that BP's chronic
neglect directly contributed to the shutdown."

“He referred to a raft of other incidents that have spurred regulatory
scrutiny of BP, including a fire at a Texas refinery that killed 15 people
in 2005 and allegations by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission that
BP improperly cornered the U.S. market for propane in 2004.

“BP "has tried to demonstrate what we thought was a good program for
controlling pipeline corrosion," said BP spokesman Neil Chapman.

“"What we learned last weekend was that it wasn't good enough. Now we will
spare no expense to fix it," Chapman said.

“The discovery of fresh corrosion at Prudhoe Bay this week came five months
after another transit line ruptured on the western side of the field,
spilling at least 200,000 gallons of crude in the worst onshore spill on
the Alaska North Slope.”

“Russia's Natural Resources Ministry said Monday that an oil pipeline leak
in western Russia threatened environmental damage, but the pipeline's
operator said the spill was far smaller than the ministry claimed and had
already been cleaned up.

“The Natural Resources Ministry backed off an earlier warning that the
spill was a potential environmental catastrophe. The ministry initially
said the spill, which occurred Saturday in the western Bryansk region on
the border with Ukraine and Belarus, affected a 4-square-mile area and
contaminated water sources.” [Quoted from townhall.com]

“Oil spill earns $2.8 million in fines
260,000 gallons fouled Kentucky, Ohio rivers
Two companies involved in a 260,000-gallon oil spill into the Kentucky and
Ohio rivers last year have agreed to pay $2.8million in fines to Kentucky
and the federal government.
Oil from a pipeline that ruptured in Owen and Carroll counties on Jan. 26,
2005, washed as far downriver as Louisville.” [Quoted from courier-journal.com]

“The Chernobyl disaster was initially predicted to cause hundreds of
thousands of deaths. Two decades later the death toll stands at 56.”
—
“THE dangers of radiation to human health have been exaggerated
significantly, according to scientists who have examined the legacy of the
Chernobyl disaster 20 years ago.

“Research into the aftermath of the meltdown at the Soviet nuclear reactor
has suggested that low levels of radioactivity are not as harmful as
believed - and may even be beneficial.”
—
“Generally, the hazards are thought to rise directly with increasing doses
of radiation. But the new theory suggests that there is a threshold, below
which any amount of exposure is probably safe. [...] ”
—
“ [...] The United Nations Chernobyl Forum estimates that no more than 4,000
people will die as a direct result of fallout, while radiation may be a contributory
factor in another 5,000 deaths.”

Note carefully that these deaths occur over a long period. They are not somehow equivalent to immediate deaths from the likes of car accidents.

“We stand at the verge of a renaissance of nuclear energy, founded in the
continued safe and economical operation of America's 103 nuclear power
plants and signalled by the expected near-term announcements of several
orders for new nuclear power plants to be constructed and operated in the
next 10 years. In the longer term, our national laboratories are working
with the nation's universities, U.S. industry, and the international
community to develop the next generation of advanced nuclear power
systems, which will be even more economical, safer, and sustainable with a
closed fuel cycle that burns up substantially more of the nuclear fuel to
extract much more of its energy potential while minimizing the quantities
of nuclear waste. Nuclear power has an important place in America's energy
future, safely providing electricity and transportation fuel products that
are economical, clean, and sustainable.”

There are already lightweight items in the fossil media, for example in the Guardian.
The fluff will not prepare those interested for the debate. This fluff is also on the Conservative Party web-site.
It is essential to read this detailed interim report, and to read it with great attention.

Despite it containing shadow boxing politics, there is an awful lot in this report.
Much more in the way of numbers still required, and it has a black hole where discussion
of transportable fuel should be.

“The electricity supply industry is a major contributor to carbon dioxide
(and other greenhouse gas) emissions. The energy supply sector currently
accounts for around 35% of carbon emissions; transport for 24%; industry
22%; services 4% and the residential sector 15%.”
—
“The demand for electricity varies with the time of day and the time of
year, but its overall pattern is reasonably constant. Electricity demand
has increased by 2% every year since 1990, and 70% since 1970. Whilst we
need concerted action to address demand it is nevertheless, predicted to
continue increasing.”
—
“Today, around 40% of our electricity is provided by gas-fired power
stations. Just over 30% comes from coal-fired power stations; nearly 20%
from nuclear power stations; around 3.5% from renewable sources (including
hydroelectric power), and the rest from oil-fired power stations and other
sources.”
—
“In renewable energy, Britain is way behind other countries. In 2004, 3.5%
of our electricity came from renewable sources, compared to 12% in France
and an EU-15 average of 13.9%.”

I think it increasingly likely that old.new.old will opt for a snap election
in order to pre-empt and escape from full open debate of this vital issue.

“In 2005, Brazil produced 16.5 billion liters of fuel ethanol
(45.2 percent of the world's total) with the United States a close second
at 16.2 billion liters, or 44.5 percent of the total. Ethanol provides roughly
40 percent of Brazil's non-diesel fuel and 2 - 3 percent of U.S. non-diesel
fuel.

“Sugar cane is the most important crop for producing biofuels today
and the feedstock for more than 40 percent of all fuel ethanol. Corn ranks
a close second: the primary source for biofuel production in the U.S., it
supplies nearly the same share of world fuel ethanol as sugar cane.

“Biodiesel, produced mainly from rapeseed or sunflower seed, comprises
80 percent of Europe's total biofuel production. The EU accounted for nearly
89 percent of all biodiesel production worldwide in 2005. Germany produced
1.9 billion liters, or more than half the world total.

“Global ethanol production more than doubled between 2000 and 2005,
while production of biodiesel, starting from a much smaller base, expanded
nearly fourfold. In contrast, oil production increased by only 7 percent
over this period.

“In 2005, ethanol comprised about 1.2 percent of the world's gasoline
supply by volume and about 0.8 percent by transport distance travelled (due
to its lower energy content).”

“Solar plants are the new skyscrapers. Last year Shell opened the
formerly "world's largest" solar power plant near Leipzig, producing
only 5 MW. The Shell solar plant in Pocking will soon be overtaken by the
GE-Powerlight plant in Portugal at 11 MW [see below]. Hot on their heels
is a 15 MW plant in South Korea, 100 MW in Israel. The current leader in
announced capacity appears to be a 116 MW solar station in Portugal to be
built by a consortium of German companies.”

Press release:

“World's Largest Solar Photovoltaic Power Plant to be Built with
GE Investment and PowerLight Technology

“GE Energy Financial Services, PowerLight Corporation and Catavento
Lda announced today that they will build the world’s largest solar
photovoltaic power project. The 11-megawatt solar power plant, comprising
52,000 photovoltaic modules, will be built at a single site in Serpa, Portugal,
200 kilometers (124 miles) southeast of Lisbon in one of Europe’s
sunniest areas.”

“The Portuguese government, seeking to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
and dependence on fossil fuels, has introduced legislation that forces utilities
to pay 31 euro cents a kilowatt hour for solar energy. Spain and Germany
have similar programs, and Italy recently introduced one as well.”
—
“He said people in Portugal and many other parts of Europe were already
accustomed to paying 25 cents to 30 cents a kilowatt hour for electricity.

In the United States, the cost still averages 10 cents to 14 cents, "and
utilities are just not going to buy 25-cent solar electricity," [...]”
—
“King said the Energy Department was already spending about $78 million
a year to seek ways to bring down the cost of photovoltaic cells, and that
President George W. Bush had asked Congress to authorize an additional $63
million a year. "We want to mainstream solar energy by 2015,"
he said, "and that means putting it on cost parity with any other source
of energy." ” [Quoted from iht.com]

It may reach record books for size, but whether this solar
farm is economically viable, even in a sun-drenched location, remains to be
seen.

Producing large quantities electricity during the day without
properly assessing what to do next - for instance considering the problems
of storage or selling on - can lead to the situation as found with Denmark’s
windmills. Here, the Danes now sell their wind-generated electricity to
Sweden at less than the cost for producing the electricity, thus effectively
subsidising Sweden.

Wind and solar farms may be benefical for individuals or
small communities to free themselves from the ‘tyranny’ of a centrally
controlled energy grid, and may be useful for immediate use, like charging
up commuters’s electric cars while they are at work during the day.
However, such energy sources do not resolve the problems of energy generation
at night, or of consistency of supply.

“ [...] a new type of photovoltaic module that uses transparent holographic
optical elements in its design. This innovative, patented holographic technology,
collects and spectrally selects useful wavelengths from the sun and focuses
them onto the cell to create electricity.”